


Language of Love

by TheHedgehogSong



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:02:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHedgehogSong/pseuds/TheHedgehogSong
Summary: They set up camp when it gets too dark to travel, setting up a fire which they sit around. Nicolo hesitates for a moment before offering the man some of his dried meat rations. The man frowns at him before taking the proffered meat, then extends Nicolo a drink from his skin – which Nicolo takes gratefully."Yusuf," the man says, pointing at himself."Yusuf," Nicolo repeats and the man, Yusuf, nods. He then points at Niciolo."Nicolo," he responds."Nicolo," Yusuf repeats, and Nicolo nods.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 28
Kudos: 569





	Language of Love

Nicolo blinks his eyes open, stomach still hurting where it's knitting itself back together. Dusk has started to fall, and the battle has moved on. All that surrounds him now are corpses of his brothers in arms and his enemies. They look startlingly similar when they are dead and covered in blood. He gingerly sits up, feeling weary, and scans over the bodies looking for the man that he owes his death to 4 times over now. 

He finds him not too far away, although he did not die by Nicolo's hand this time, Nicolo knew he'd be close. He will always be near. They are bound – Nicolo may not like it, nor will the man, but it is an undeniable fact. After meeting death four times and being flung back to the mortal realm four times, each time with the man nearby experiencing the same – it is hard to think they are anything other than bound. 

The man has an arrow sticking through his forehead, which is why Nicolo assumes he hasn't been revived yet. Nicolo drops to his knees heavily, he made have been brought to life, but he still feels exhausted. Weighted down by his armour, and weak from not eating for at least a day. He pulls the arrow from the man's head and sits back on his heels, waiting. 

It doesn't take long for him to feel a knife at his throat. The man is half sat up, glaring at Nicolo. Nicolo just sighs, "I mean you no harm." Nicolo says, even though he knows the other man doesn't understand his mother tongue. 

The man frowns at him, assessing. He says something back to Nicolo in Arabic. Nicolo doesn't understand the words, but he feels he understands the meaning somehow.  _ What is the meaning of this?  _

Nicolo stands up slowly and offers his hand out to the man. The man frowns in confusion before taking his hand and Nicolo hauls him up. They stand at look at each other before Nicolo looks around, a few stray horse graze in the distance that haven't been picked up by either side when the battle finished. Nicolo points over to them, and the man nods. 

They approach the horses hesitantly and manage to mount them without any problems. They sit astride and assess the horizon. The man says something to him, and Nicolo interprets as  _ what now? _

Nicolo shrugs, "you choose." He says, pointing at him. Nicolo took the first step. The man can take this one. 

The man suggests something and Nicolo nods, gesturing to the landscape meaning lead the way. The man eyes him for a while and then spurs his horse to move forward. Nicolo follows. 

They set up camp when it gets too dark to travel, setting up a fire which they sit around. Nicolo hesitates for a moment before offering the man some of his dried meat rations. The man frowns at him before taking the proffered meat, then extends Nicolo a drink from his skin – which Nicolo takes gratefully. 

"Yusuf," the man says, pointing at himself. 

"Yusuf," Nicolo repeats and the man, Yusuf, nods. He then points at Niciolo. 

"Nicolo," he responds. 

"Nicolo," Yusuf repeats, and Nicolo nods. 

Xxx 

As they travel together, they slowly pick up a pidgin language, part Italian, part Arabic but mostly gesturing. Yusuf picks up Italian quicker than Nicolo picks up Arabic. It would be easier for them to converse in Italian, but Nicolo is determined to learn Yusuf's language. Plus, it's a bonus that Yusuf is always sweeter when Nicolo speaks to him in badly accented, fragmented Arabic. 

They end up in Greece, settled in a small coastal village. Yusuf plants a small garden bedside their house and keeps a goat, Nicolo joins the local men fishing. They both know it must be temporary, but they both enjoy the comfort of having a base to return to. The house isn't really a house so much as it is a hut with a fire pit and a straw mattress in the corner. However, after the wars and the travelling, it feels like a luxury. 

Yusuf likes to lie out and stargaze when the weather is right. While Nicolo is not bothered about stargazing, he finds himself wherever Yusuf is. His shadow. He wonders if maybe that is why they are tied together, that Yusuf is the shining light and Nicolo is a little shadow that follows his flame. 

"What do you think we are?" Yusuf asks one night as they are lying under the stars. It's a topic they've tried to broach a couple of times but have never had the shared language to be able to get much passed the question. 

"Do you want my answer, or do you wish to wax poetry?" Nicolo asks Yusuf. Yusuf laughs loud and bright. Nicolo loves that laughs, he remembers the first time he heard it. It was a couple of days into their trip, and Nicolo was badly butchering the word horse in Arabic. 

"Why can't it be both?" Yusuf asks, smirking at Nicolo. Nicolo rolls his eyes, but the huge smile on his face belies the exasperation. 

"You give your answer first, seen as you have clearly thought about it", Nicolo says. 

"I believe you are my  _ Malak _ ," Yusuf says, Nicolo frowns, he doesn't recall hearing the last word and doesn't have enough context to guess. 

" _ Malak _ ?" Nicolo asks. Yusuf sits up, so Nicolo mirrors him. Yusuf flounders for a moment before he points up and the sky, then forms a circle with his thumbs and index fingers, hovering it above his head. Nicolo laughs. 

"No, no I most certainly am not a  _ Malak _ !" Nicolo bursts, "I am more likely your demon." 

"Demon?" Yusuf asks. Nicolo takes a page from Yusuf's book, he points down and then raises his index fingers to his head to imitate horns. They both laugh long and loud. Yusuf just shakes his head and mutters something under his breath that Nicolo doesn't catch.

Xxx 

Nicolo has always figured he was cursed. He had impure thoughts from a young age - no amount of atonement and praying had ever seemed to purge them from his head. Fighting in the holy war was supposed to wipe him clean of his sins, only the thoughts never left.

Nicolo knew it was then a natural progression to have these thoughts about Yusuf, not only are they bonded - tied together by the red string of fate - but Yusuf is handsome and kind. His smile is as bright as the sun, and even his anger is beautiful.

The point is, Nicolo knew from a young age that he was cursed. So the fact that he has been bonded with this perfect being seemingly for an eternity, but not being allowed to touch him as he wants, denounce his God and worship as he wants, show him how he truly feels about him like he wants. Well, it is a torture that Nicolo was prepared for. And in all honestly, it could be worse, he could be cursed to this immortality without this divine being by his side – now that would be far far worse. 

They share the straw mattress in the corner of their hut, for convenience, for warmth and to save space. Nicolo sleeps on the side of the wall as Yusuf rises earlier than him for morning prayers. Therefore it is easier for him not to have to climb over Nicolo. 

One night though, raiders land on the coast of their small villager. They smash into the hut. By the time Nicolo has grabbed the sword he keeps by the wall, Yusuf has already stood up and received a sword to the gut. It is the first time since the holy war that Nicolo has seen Yusuf fall. He does not know what magic brought them back to life, and he doesn't know if it was tied to the time or the place they were when it first happened. 

He sees Yusuf fall, and he feels ice-cold dread followed immediately by a burning rage. He has his sword unsheathed, slashing down the two raiders that had broken into their hut, taking the head of the one that had run through Yusuf, in an instant. Nicolo then collapses by his companion's side, cradling the man in his arms. 

"Please Yusuf, please wake up." He begs, tears rolling down his cheeks. Yusuf gasps back to life and Nicolo sobs in relief. 

"We must help the villagers," is the first thing that Yusuf says and Nicolo wants to throttle him. He doesn't though, he helps him to his feet. Yusuf grabs his sword, and they go down to the village, slaughter the raiders. 

In the morning, with help from the men of the village, they collect the bodies and burn them. Burning the boat as well, once it's been stripped. From that day on, Nicolo refuses to sleep anywhere but between Yusuf and the door. 

Xxx 

Some weeks after the raiders, they are sat eating their dinner. "You are restless," Yusuf says. It's not a question, just a statement of fact. "You do not wish to stay." 

Nicolo thinks about it, and no, he really doesn't. The vision of Yusuf, cold and dead on the ground haunts him whenever he enters their hut. "You wish to stay." Nicolo counters and Yusuf nods. 

"The villagers would not have survived the raid without us", Yusuf replies. 

"There are other people out there that could use our help. The villagers are wary of us now", Nicolo says. It's true, while the villagers are grateful for their lives – they now watch Nicolo and Yusuf with nervous gazes. Yusuf nods slowly, taking in the information. Nicolo loves that about Yusuf, that he listens and mulls over his reply. Always the deep thinker. 

"Where you go, I go," Yusuf states, clearly having thought about it hard. Nicolo shrugs. 

"Where you stay, I stay." Nicolo retorts easily. He thought that much was clear, but the way Yusuf's eyes widen slightly seems to say that the other man did not know this. 

"Oh," Yusuf says simply. 

"You must know this?" 

"I did not," Yusuf says with a smile and a small laugh to himself. Yusuf stands up and walks over to Nicolo, holding out a hand. Nicolo takes it and rises himself. Yusuf cups Nicolo's face, thumbs stroking Nicolo's cheekbones. "You are my sun. I was too blinded by the light of looking at you to realise you were looking back." Yusuf then leans forward and kisses Nicolo. 

"I do not possess the poetic soul you do, so I will simply say this," Nicolo says when they part, "I love you." 

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my original works [here](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Weekend-Supernatural-Hotspots-Alison-Simmonds-ebook/dp/B08LNJX1PB/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=)


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